What a GEDCOM can contain
A file may include individuals, families, names, life events, notes, source citations, repository references, and media links. Actual support varies by the exporting and importing application.
Portable genealogy data
Use GEDCOM without losing the story behind the tree.
GEDCOM is a common exchange format for genealogy data. It can move people, relationships, events, and source references between compatible tools, but an import still needs careful review.
What to know
Review an import
Check the focal person, spouse and parent links, date formats, place names, duplicate people, living-person privacy, and source notes. Media files may need to be transferred separately when the GEDCOM stores only file references.
Preserve identifiers and provenance
Keep original IDs where practical and record where the file came from, when it was exported, and who supplied it. That context makes later corrections and merges easier to explain.
Keep more than one backup
Export after major research sessions and store copies in separate locations. A GEDCOM is valuable for portability, while SVG, PDF, or image exports preserve the visual presentation. Neither replaces the original evidence files.